I know I bust Trinity's chops for being a girl and constantly "weighing" in on the GUYS Lounge, but this time she's right (she must be reading my blogs). The "Tale of the Tape" is the best way I have found for measuring my success. I measure monthly on the 1st and track on my "weight" page.

Here is where and the proper way to measure: Starting at the top...

1. Neck (not collar size) around the adam's apple 2. Chest, with arms down across the nipples, standing up straight with breath exhaled. 3. Waist (not where you wear your belt), across the navel and the love handles. 4. Hips, around the biggest part of the glutes 5. Thighs, near the top around the largest part of the leg 6. Arms, around the bicep and tricep with arm bent but not flexed.

Use a mirror to make sure the tape is even around the part being measured. Stay relaxed to keep the measurements as accurate as possible.

The scale has been a relatively meaningless gauge for me, since I have high bone density and tend to weigh more than other girls my size. So, I rely on the tape measure and the body fat percentage thingy in my scale.

Waist, chest, hips, neck, wrist, upper thigh, calf, biceps, forearm. I measure these about once per month. SP has a tracker you can set up for this that graphs your results over time.

Body Fat %. I also check this about once per month, and track it in the same place as the measurements on SP.

I would use a tape measure to track your progress, you could also use an electric body fat percentage reader. They might not be as accurate as being dunked but you can use it to just track your progress (just do it the same time like in the morning before eating).

I use two weights. My body weight should stay the same or increase very slowly. And the amount of weight I'm lifting in the gym should be increasing. That's how I know I'm putting on muscle rather than fat. If my bench goes up by 10 pounds, squat by 20, and weight by 1-2, I know that's good for what I want.

I'm looking to lose fat but gain some muscle. Not a lot, I just want to look fit and be comfortable in a t-shirt again. AKA - definition or swimmer's body. So, weight doesn't seem to be the best way to check in. I'm guessing measuring key body parts, but how often and which ones? Also, any good ideas as to goals for this? I'm 6'3", currently 192 lbs, 38" waist. Thanks in advance for help and ideas!

SparkPeople, SparkCoach, SparkPages, SparkPoints, SparkDiet, SparkAmerica, SparkRecipes, DailySpark, and other marks are trademarks of SparkPeople, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
SPARKPEOPLE is a registered trademark of SparkPeople, Inc. in the United States, European Union, Canada, and Australia. All rights reserved.

NOTE: Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy last updated on October 25, 2013